In our first class we were introduced to various different topics and films, however the film I wanted to discuss is La Hora de los Hornos by directors Octavio Getino and Fernando Solana, and their ability to enable didactic means through the act of imperfect cinema. La Hora de los Hornos is primarily about the neocolonialism and economic struggle in Argentina, and in order to show these issues the directors use techniques highlighted in Julio García Espinosa’s “For an Imperfect Cinema”. The sequence I wanted to focus on that primarily uses this educational strategy is the part of the film that shows the indigenous Argentine people.

The sequence mentioned shows insight of struggle faced by Argentine indigenous populations as their land is constantly taken and their people forgotten. In order to show this hardship in a didactic way, the directors use camerawork, available resources and basic imperfect cinema thinking to exemplify the problem. In Julio García Espinosa’s “For an Imperfect Cinema”, García mentions how the root of all perfect cinema involves showing “the process which generates the problems” (¶10,1 Espinosa), the rejection of exhibitionism in cinema and the disinterest in quality or technique; which is all shown in the La Hora de los Hornos sequence involving the Argentine indigenous. Within the sequence we see the elder talking about the colonialism occurring and the sick people in the village, which shows the problem face on rather than hiding it. Another example of this is shown when we see the camera focusing closely on the children’s faces, showing the discomfort that is felt when these hardships are in play in shots that are rough and dismiss traditional standards. This scene can be considered an excellent example of the relation between Julio García Espinosa’s “For an Imperfect Cinema” and Octavio Getino and Fernando Solana’s La Hora de los Hornos.